Wonder Vanilla
by mayfaire
Summary: Kuchiki Byakuya's first trip to the Living World. Byakuya/Ichigo. AU. Pre-slash. Oneshot.


Title: Wonder Vanilla

Summary: Kuchiki Byakuya's first trip to the Living World. Byakuya/Ichigo. AU. Pre-slash. One-shot.

Disclaimer: Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.

A/N: First Bleach fic.

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It was a humid day in the Living World. The sky was blue, dotted with clouds and unassuming birds here and there. Byakuya was sitting on a steel bench at a park somewhere in Karakura district still trying to get used to the feeling of using a gigai—something he would've thought was beyond him. He raised his right hand and contracted it into a fist twice just to get a grip, and adjust to the feeling of slower reflexes. Even the best gigai from Urahara's ingeniousness was considered unsatisfactory to the Kuchiki head. Byakuya scowled but deemed such action unnecessary and a waste of energy when he was already using the body.

He sighed and gazed around him. It was barely midday and it was summer time so most children were on vacation from school. Several of them were scattered around the park, in Byakuya's clear view, playing and jostling around. They were far enough for the cacophony not to disturb the man but relatively still visible for some form of casual enjoyment.

In all honesty, he didn't even know why he agreed to this trip. Everyone in the Gotei 13 who didn't have business with his own life were taking it in their hands to push him for a vacation leave. It's been centuries since had one, as the burly and noisy Zaraki Kenpachi commented. Merely a week of escapade and diversion from the pressure of Seireitei was surely not that important, they had said. Right. What was he to do and object when even Yamamoto-soutaichou gave him, literally albeit uncharacteristically, a thumbs up for his leave. The following party that night at the local bar for Shinigami captains were in full attendance; complete with a banner of 'bon voyage' that nearly did Byakuya's teetering patience that night.

Byakuya's right eyebrow ticked involuntarily in recollection; if he were a lesser man, he would've had shuddered in complete disgust. Everyone from the perpetual drunkard Kyouraku Shunsui to the midget tensai Hitsugaya Toushiro were present to wish him a happy, happy one week vacation. If he didn't know better, he'd presume that everyone were in cahoots in the formulation and execution of the plan. He wondered in partial amusement who led it.

Hurried footsteps nearing him snapped Byakuya from his meandering thoughts. Kurosaki Ichigo was walking towards him holding two cone shaped matters with somewhat dome-like objects on top with a big grin on his face.

The older man forced himself not to frown in contemplation. The plan for him to take a vacation leave ultimately led to him meeting up with the loudmouth orange haired man everyday. Ichigo obviously volunteered _himself_ to be his personal tour guide despite leaving his work in Seireitei. It was not unusual for two or three captains to take leave concurrently but for two captains to have the same vacation leave at the same location was questionable. As questionable as it were, Byakuya forced it in the back of his mind. If he were to be honest with himself, he rather enjoyed the trips he and Ichigo had from museums to movie houses and beaches. It was pleasurable even for his usually uptight self, if he may say so.

He wondered briefly when did the exasperation with each other faded into a testy friendship to, from Ayasegawa Yumichika's own plebeian words, buddies. He could not even remember the subtle change in their relationship, if ever it could pass as one. They were merely acquaintances, captains of their respective divisions and treated each other in tentative respect. Ichigo still had a knack to completely annoy him but he could assume that often times, it was simply to squeeze a reaction out of him.

"Oi! Byakuya!" Byakuya stood up to welcome the other man. It would be a waste of effort to try and ingrain in Ichigo that he was to be called with an honorific; he had quit mentioning it after the first twenty years as co-captains. Even the great Byakuya-sama of the Kuchiki clan cannot attest to bear the patience of a saint. It was simply inapplicable to a happy-go-lucky person like Kurosaki Ichigo.

"Here!" Ichigo shoved the thing in front of him. Byakuya's hand hesitated in reaching for it. The dome-like object was exuding a cool temperature at this close. It was so innocuous it bothered the dark haired man to the extent of doubting its inoffensive state, like it would explode into something diabolical at any given time.

"It's called ice cream and it tastes good, don't worry." The blonde grinned at him, but Byakuya could only stare in half-awe and half-apprehension as Ichigo shoved nearly half of the so called ice cream in his mouth.

When Ichigo noticed Byakuya's hesitation, a small frown appeared on his face. "Well, I just thought that..."

Byakuya suddenly grabbed the damnable ice cream and tasted the tiniest bit he could muster without looking like an ingrate to his volunteer tour guide. He then nearly groaned in frustration as he considered his impulsive action. Only four days into his forced vacation leave and he could barely tolerate Kurosaki Ichigo's disappointed look that he's yielding to the blonde's follies on reflex already. Byakuya downright refused to believe how ominous that sounded even to him.

"How is it?" Ichigo's face cleared into a rather excited grin, waiting for his experiment to finish.

Byakuya blinked in pleasant surprise. After all the paranoia, his suspicions were entirely needless "It has a pleasing, light and passable sweetness to it. I am enjoying, thank you."

Ichigo blinked before he chortled rather loudly for the aristocrat's taste. "Only you would judge a vanilla ice cream like handing out a verdict."

The noble could not see the humor in his honest comment on the frozen dairy product but decided to forgo the thought. Seeing the man's sincere enjoyment in their trips was enough to calm him. Perhaps, albeit half-admittedly, his one week vacation in the Living World was turning rather splendid.

END

A/N: My first fic after nearly two years. This is just in assumption that Byakuya does not know of delights such as ice cream. Reviews are appreciated. :)


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